Off We Go...Down In Flame [Paperback]

Julius 'Al' Altvater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2006

The story of a WWII Bombardier in the air over Europe and as a prisoner of war in Romania.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in the Bronx in 1920, "Al" Altvater spent his formative years in rural New Jersey. Seventeen at the time of his father's death during the Great Depression, he quit school and got a job in the infant TV industry assembling and installing television sets.

Enlisting in what was then the "Army Air Corps," he volunteered for the Philippines, but was sent to Panama instead. He spent the war years in Panama, Texas, Nebraska, Idaho, Africa, Italy, and Romania. He retired from the military in 1964 with a rank of major. He subsequently had a second career as a social worker in Loas Angeles County "doing penance".

Wherever he was stationed, Altvater took classes in local colleges and universities, graduating from the university of Philippines in 1963. Divorced in the late seventies, he moved to California's remote Mendocino Coast, where he remarried, and where he now resides with his wife Heidi, their dog Fritz and their cat Sweetie.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553695038
• ISBN-13: 978-1553695035
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,468,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars What is was really like..., November 23, 2009

By 

Skydancer (Novato, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Off We Go...Down In Flame (Paperback)

No hype. Just one man's experience of his tour of duty during WWII. Couldn't put it down. Altvater introduces you to military life during the war from a very personal point of view...his. You'll meet his plane, the Shilay-lee, a behemoth B-24 Liberator, and you'll get to know the men he trained and flew with. You'll live through being shot down, which some of the crew didn't, and you'll find out what it was like to be captured and spend time in a Romanian prisoner of war camp. It's a story that leaves you inspired and thankful. A treasure because it's a first hand account, and it's very well written.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, March 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Off We Go...Down In Flame (Paperback)

The best description of war yet. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting. Please read this book. It is a must.